Covid-19 and the Flu are different. The difference can kill you.

By RANDALL S. RODRIGUEZ

Covid-19 is more likely to kill than flu. On average, about 1 in 1,000 people who get the flu will die from it. Covid-19 can kill 10 or more per 1,000.  

Covid-19 is less understood than the flu. We know a great deal about the common flu, but we do not know very little about Covid-19.  The lack of knowledge hinders our ability to treat people who become ill with Covid-19.

Covid-19 is more able to overwhelm our health system than the flu.  Since we know about the flu, and the flu is not less infectious, our health system can manage flu outbreaks.  But, since we know relatively little about Covid-19, and Covid-19 is more infectious, our health system can become overwhelmed by Covid-19 outbreaks.

Covid-19 has no vaccine, but there are vaccines for the flu.  The lack of a vaccine reduces our ability to limit and contain outbreaks, and it places more people at risk because Covid-19 can spread farther and faster than flu. 

Covid-19 probably has no natural immunities, but some persons have resistance to the flu.  Because Covid-19 is caused by a novel virus, it is likely that there is no natural immunity to it. But, in most years, some percentage of the population will be resistant to flu infection, and they will be less likely to become severely ill from that year’s flu strains because they previously had a similar strain of the flu or they were vaccinated against it.

Covid-19 is less visible to those who are infected than the flu, and therefore infected persons can spread it to more people.  Persons who have the flu can usually tell in 2 to 4 days that they are ill, and they can stay away from healthy people.  However, persons who have Covid-19 may be asymptomatic and show no signs for up to 14 days, and therefore they can carry and spread the virus for a longer period of time. 

Be informed.  Do not listen to those who are uninformed.  Their lack of knowledge may harm you and your family.